Editing Peter MacKay (section)

===Minister of National Defence===
[[File:Peter MacKay CYCLONE.jpg|thumb|MacKay inspects a new [[Sikorsky CH-148 Cyclone]] with members of the [[Royal Canadian Air Force]], May 2011.]]
On August 14, 2007, Stephen Harper shuffled MacKay from Foreign Affairs to Defence, replacing [[Gordon O'Connor]]. On November 6, 2007, while attending a meeting at [[Forward Operating Base Wilson]], 20 kilometres west of [[Kandahar]] City, Mackay was unharmed as two rockets struck the base at about 11 a.m. local time. Mackay described the incident: "There was an explosion. It was a loud bang", said MacKay. "When it happened, we heard the explosion, we heard the whistle overhead, we were told to get down and we did."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20071106/mackay_afghan_071106/20071106?hub=World |title=MacKay unhurt in rocket attack on Afghan base&nbsp;— CTV News |publisher=Ctv.ca |date=November 6, 2007 |access-date=May 5, 2011 }} {{dead link|date=July 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> The incident happened on the same day that a [[Suicide Bomber|suicide bomber]] [[2007 Baghlan sugar factory bombing|detonated an explosive]] in [[Baghlan]] in the northeastern part of the country killing at least 75 including several politicians. While [[Taliban]] insurgents were suspected of being behind the bombing, it was not believed to be related to the attack in Kandahar.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7081012.stm|work=BBC News|title=Afghan suicide blast 'kills 40'|date=November 6, 2007|access-date=May 22, 2010}}</ref>

In 2008, MacKay announced a broad exhaustive and very expensive program to upgrade the Canadian military's equipment, spending over $400 billion over 25 years. Unlike every previous spending announcement of its kind, no "white paper" or detailed breakdown of this number was available nor was any claimed to exist. This led to widespread speculation that an election was coming. [[Stephen Harper]] did in fact declare Parliament "dysfunctional" in August 2008 and called on [[Governor General of Canada]] [[Michaëlle Jean]] to dissolve parliament for the [[2008 Canadian federal election|2008 federal election]].
[[File:Defense.gov News Photo 120327-D-NI589-221 - Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta is greeted by Canadian Minister of National Defense Peter MacKay as he arrives for trilateral meetings with.jpg|thumb|MacKay as with his American counterpart, [[Leon Panetta]], during a trilateral meeting with defence ministers from Canada, Mexico, and the United States, March 2012]]
In July 2010, MacKay was accused of inappropriately using public funds when he combined the use of a Canadian Cormorant military helicopter for both a search and rescue demonstration, and to transport the minister from a private fishing camp in Newfoundland to Gander Airport. The cost of this to taxpayers was approximately $16,000.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/01/28/dnd-emails-reveal-new-questions-over-peter-mackays-cormorant-helicopter-ride-to-news-conference|title=DND emails reveal new questions over Peter MacKay's Cormorant helicopter ride to news conference|date=January 13, 2013|access-date=April 22, 2013}}</ref> MacKay, then the Minister of National Defence, defended his use of the military helicopter stating, "Three days into the visit I participated in a search and rescue demonstration with 103 squadron 9 Wing Gander. I shortened my stay by a day to take part in that demonstration".<ref name=":3">{{cite news|url=http://www.torontosun.com/2011/09/22/mackay-defends-use-of-chopper-after-fishing-trip|author= Dominique La Haye| title=MacKay defends use of chopper after fishing trip|publisher= The Toronto Sun| date=September 22, 2011|access-date=December 1, 2023|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141114031158/http://www.torontosun.com/2011/09/22/mackay-defends-use-of-chopper-after-fishing-trip|archivedate=November 14, 2014}}</ref>

In 2009, he undertook two days of basic military training as part of [[CBC Television]]'s ''[[Make the Politician Work]]''.<ref>[[Jane Taber]], "MacKay dons fatigues, loses his hair in TV boot camp". ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'', September 5, 2009.</ref>

On June 5, 2012, it was revealed that a widely publicized 2010 news conference announcing Conservative plans to buy 65 [[Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II|F-35]] Stealth Fighters had cost $47,000.  Documents provided to parliament by Peter Mackay indicated that [[Lockheed Martin]] had delivered the F-35 mockup used in the photo-op for free, and that the cost was primarily for services to support the news conference and one hundred invited guests.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/cost-for-mackay-to-park-his-posterior-in-f-35-mockup-47000/article4232307/ | location=Toronto | work=The Globe and Mail | title=Cost for MacKay to 'park his posterior' in F-35 mockup: $47,000 | date=June 5, 2012}}</ref>